Twice as Hot (12 page)

Finally
sunlight pushed its way into my room. I lumbered from the cocoon of covers,
showered and dressed in Rome’s second-favorite outfit of mine: a pair of
stone-washed jeans and an emerald-green cotton shirt that buttoned all the way
to the hem. He liked to undo the buttons, one at a time. Sometimes at different
times throughout the day, as though it was a prolonged peep show.

I
couldn’t wear his number-one favorite: skin and a smile. Not to work, at least.
So I made do with second string. I only hoped he’d appreciate it.

Once
I was dressed, I anchored my hair into a ponytail and went in search of Tanner
and Sherridan. Before I found them, my cell phone rang and I rushed back into
my room to swipe it off the dresser, where I’d thrown it last night. Hoping…

“Hello,”
I said, huffing for oxygen.

“Belle
Jamison, please,” a pleasant feminine voice said.

My
heart sank. “This is she. Her. Me.” I could never remember what was correct.
“I’m Belle.”

“Oh,
good. I’m Martha Hobbs from Let’s Get Together and I’m calling about your
upcoming wedding. We’ve got you scheduled to come in today at noon to look over
our invitation selection, and I just wanted to confirm with you.”

I
closed my eyes and rubbed my temples with my free hand. “I’m sorry. I forgot,
and something’s come up.”

“All
right. Twenty-four hours’ notice would have been appreciated, but we can work
with this.” Professional that she obviously was, there was only the slightest
hint of irritation in her voice. “Would you like to reschedule?”

I
wish. “I’ll have to call you back. I really am sorry. My fiancé, he’s—well,
things are up in the air right now.”

“Oh.
I’m sorry. I do understand.” And she did, it seemed. Her tone had gentled. “I
hope you’ll call us if things…work out.”

“Sure.
Yes.” I gulped, hung up, threw the cell on my bed and jumped back into my
search for my friends before I burst into tears. This was the first time I’d
voiced out loud that the wedding might not happen, and well, it hurt. Like that
damn knife was back in my chest, twisting.

I
found Tanner in the living room, lounging on the couch. There was no sign of
Sherridan. Most likely, she still lazed in bed, avoiding me. She knew I wanted
to talk to her about the power thing. Last night I’d tried to find out what
kind of ability she wanted, what she thought she’d gain from it and if she was
willing to be chased by bad guys for the rest of her life, but she’d made her
announcement and then popped open a celebratory bottle of champagne. Only, she
had the bottle pressed to her mouth before Tanner could grab a glass. Always a
quick and easy drunk, she’d been a goner five minutes later, none of my
questions answered.

Tanner
groaned when he spotted me. “Not the button-up shirt.”

Perhaps
I wore it a little too much. But damn it, I liked when Rome unbuttoned me.

“If
I know Lexis, and unfortunately, I do,” Tanner said drily, pushing to his feet,
“she’ll be wearing a dress. A sexy, I-want-your-hands-all-over-me dress. Your
jeans and T-shirt won’t compare. You’ll resemble her poor frumpy cousin from
Hick Town.”

Ouch.
Honest friends were not as wonderful as I’d always assumed. “Yeah, but he split
with Lexis. Remember?” Hopefully someone did. “A glamazon is not what he wants
for himself.”

“At
one time, he did. And that one time is the state of mind he’s in right now.”

Shit.
Tanner was right. My shoulders slumped as I said, “I need five minutes.”

“Do
everyone a favor and take ten.”

Rolling
my eyes, I stomped off. I rifled through my closet, but didn’t have anything
that could compete with the ever-fashionable Lexis’s wardrobe.
Just pick
something already.
I had people to interview and a meeting to attend.

Finally
I stripped to my underwear and jerked on a too-fancy-for-work chocolate dress
that boasted thin straps, an empire waist and a flowing skirt. Very Greek-chic,
I hoped. I couldn’t wear a bra because I didn’t own a strapless and the straps
of my comfortable white cotton would have showed. And not in the oh, so sexy
you’re-seeing-something-you-shouldn’t way, but in the
granny-got-dressed-in-the-dark way.

On
my feet I wore shiny brown sandals that ribboned up my calves. I removed the
band in my hair and let the (silky, I liked to think) mass fall. It was
straight and hit the middle of my back. Rome liked to sift his fingers through
it. Or rather, he used to. Bastard. Lexis had long hair, too, so I was probably
okay in that arena.

I
straightened my shoulders and studied myself in the full-length mirror. Not
bad. Kind of pretty. Definitely elegant.

“This
is war,” I told my reflection. “Lexis is going down.”

I
dumped the contents of my purse into a nicer one with one quick shake—a girl
had to match—and sailed from the room, ready for the battle to begin. Tanner
now stood in the entryway, once more leaning against the wall.

He
nodded in approval. “Nice. Your nipples are hard.”

I
punched him in the stomach, but I was grinning. From Tanner, that was the
highest of compliments. Besides that, he’d sounded like his old self. The
happy, perverted boy I knew and loved, not the sad wounded puppy he’d been.

“I
need my cell,” I muttered, rushing back into my bedroom. The little black
device flashed red in the upper right-hand corner, which meant that I’d somehow
missed a call. A search of the ID showed that it had come from the caterer. Not
another one, I thought with a groan. I should call them back, but damn it, if I
called I’d have to cancel and I didn’t want to cancel them. They served
chocolate cake that tasted like it had fallen straight from a rainbow in heaven
and booked up fast. Two seconds after I canceled, someone else would already be
lined up.

As
I joined Tanner in the foyer, I made a mental note to call them, as well as the
dress shop, later today and beg a new date.

He
opened the door and I sailed past him. Or tried to. Instead, I tripped over a
box of…chocolates, I realized, righting myself. Three tiered boxes, one stacked
on top of the other like the cake I’d just been imagining, and all wrapped in
gold foil. A card was taped underneath a bow.

“Are
you seriously that clumsy?” Tanner asked.

“Yes.”
Warm, humid air beat around me, sunshine hot against my bare arms as I peered
down at the boxes, motionless.
Idiot! Check them out.
Heart racing, I
tore open the card and read, “There’s nothing as sweet as you, though I do hope
you enjoy these. Your admirer.” Again, no name.

They
weren’t from Rome, then. My secret hope that he’d suddenly remembered me and
now thought to romance me back was once again dashed. I could have drop-kicked
those chocolates into a new dimension.

“First
the flowers and now candy,” Tanner said. “This guy’s serious about getting you
into bed.”

“Shut
up. Not all men have sex on the brain.”

“If
they don’t, they’re dead.”

Or
maybe their intentions were nefarious, I thought, reminded of my fears last
night.

Tanner
crossed his arms over his chest. “So what I want to know is who the hell
admires you?”

“Like
it’s impossible,” I replied, ignoring the fact that I’d wondered the same
thing. I grabbed the box and clutched it to my chest, determined to find
answers. Was there a camera strapped to the outside, someone watching my every
move? Were the little treats poisoned? “Some men do think I’m cool.”

“That’s
not what I meant, so sheathe the claws, Viper. You’re an engaged woman and the
only guys you meet are scrims.”

Though
our minds were on the same track, I said, “Maybe my banker or my grocer finds
me irresistible.” We headed toward his car. A sleek red Viper—the very vehicle
he’d named me after. Okay, fine. First time we met, I’d told him Viper was my
name.

“Yeah,
well, maybe your banker and your grocer need a beat down. My bet is the
chocolates are from a rival agency. You know, to lure you to the dark side. Or
maybe even kill you.”

This
wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to soften me up before attacking.
Once, a scrim had jumped behind my car as I was backing out of a parking lot—I
hadn’t known she’d jumped at the time—and I’d slammed into her. She’d known how
to absorb the impact without truly damaging herself, but again, I hadn’t known
that. Concerned, I’d thrown the car in Park and rushed to her, only to watch in
horror as she pulled a gun on me. Only problem with her plan was that she’d
already engaged my emotions. My fear froze the bullets inside the gun’s chamber
and her ass to the pavement.

“And
to think, this is the life Sherridan craves for herself,” I said. “I can’t even
enjoy a box of chocolates.” A fate far worse than being shot at.

We
reached the car, but Tanner didn’t open my door. He slid into the driver’s side
and waited for me to let myself in, the turd. Once I settled beside him in the
plush leather seat, my dress tucked daintily around my legs, the candy resting
in my lap, I said, “I’m in silk.” A lie. I’m sure it was a poly-blend. “At the
very least, you could treat me like a lady.”

He
snorted. “You. A lady. Funny.”

“Just
drive us to PSI, Mr. Sensitive.” As I spoke, I popped open the lid to the top
box and gazed in amazement at the assortment of truffles, chocolate squares and
cookies. How innocent they appeared…how delicious. My mouth watered, and my
stomach rumbled.

Tanner
backed out of the driveway at Mach one, his preferred speed. “Don’t eat them.
They could be poisoned.”

“I’d
already thought of that. I just wanted a peek at what I’m not going to enjoy.”

He
glanced at them and whistled. “Those suckers are expensive.”

One
of my brows arched as I faced him. “How do you know?”

“My
dad used to buy that brand for his girlfriends.”

His
dad had died not too long ago, and I patted his arm in sympathy. His mother, an
alcoholic, had left on his eighth birthday—some present, right?—and his dad had
been all he’d had left. The loss had devastated him.

I
knew that sense of loss intimately.

I’d
just started learning to walk when my mother died in a car accident. Though I
couldn’t remember her features without looking at a photograph, sometimes I
would swear there was a hole in my heart. A hole her death had caused.

But
I still had a parent, still had someone to lean on. My dad had always taken
care of me. He’d bought me tampons for my first period and talked to me about
sex, even though he’d been uncomfortable, his face as red as a lobster. Those
things had made me love him even more, but they’d also made the pang of not
having a mother worse.

“You’re
staring at the chocolates like you’ve spotted Jesus,” Tanner said. “Just…toss
them on the floorboard. John can dust the box and the candy itself for prints.”

I
replaced the lid, but left them in my lap. “If we’re dealing with a rival
agency, there won’t be any prints.” It saddened me that I wasn’t more upset
someone might want to kill me. But then, been there, done that. A lot.

“Better
safe than sorry.”

“Since
when? Your motto is ‘bad shit draws chicks.’”

He
nodded. “True. Maybe I should eat one. Being poisoned is a good war story.”

My
lips twitched into a grin. As good a mood as Tanner was in, now might be the
perfect time to talk about his ex. My nemesis. The world’s biggest bitch. “So
Lexis—”

“Still
isn’t up for discussion,” he said firmly, his good mood melting away in the
blink of an eye.

Grrr!
Men. “I think you guys need private time. You know, to talk.”

“Yeah.”
He rolled his eyes, the good mood returning. “Translation—you want private time
with Rome. You’re willing to throw me to the wolves just to play a little game
of suck face. You are such a bad friend.”

I
didn’t try to deny it. “But you love me anyway.”

“That
just proves I’m the dumb one of the friendship.”

I
snorted. “I can’t really refute that, which is sad for you. And me, I guess,
since my friends are so dumb.”

“Why
have we never hooked up?” he asked with a little laugh.

“Because
I’m so smart.”

Another
laugh. “Funny.”

A
few minutes later, we arrived at PSI headquarters in the heart of the city.
Outside, we had to check in at security and flash our badges (even though we
were recognizable at this point—I guess unlike Sherridan, we weren’t cute
enough to make the guards overlook procedure). Inside, we had to sign in at
another security booth, ride an elevator to the fifteenth floor and sign in at
yet another security booth. We even had to do fingerprint and retinal scans.

John
liked things as protected as possible.

Finally
deemed acceptable, we strode out of the comfortable lobby, with its brown
leather couches and lush green plants, and down a long, plain hallway. From
there we turned left, left, right, and hit the laboratory encased by tall glass
windows. We left the box of chocolates with forensics—Tanner had to pry them
from my Kung Fu grip—and headed to the hall of interview rooms. Along the way,
we ran into other agents, but no one stopped to talk. At PSI, everyone had a
mission and idle chatter was discouraged.